Finally, we are going to witness IPL 2025 playoffs & astonishingly RCB & PBKS are going to lock horns on 29th May at Mullanpur. The resumption of IPL 2025 has been no lesser than a roller-coaster ride for fans and teams. It’s a massive match for PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer who has been completely ignored by richest board for England Tests despite scoring tons of runs on domestic arena as well as in IPL 2025 (*514 runs in 14 matches with a sureal average of 51,40)
RCB on the other hand can’t afford to be complacent given after a resounding victory over LSG in their last match. There is a lot of uncertainty over Rajat Patidar’s place in the team as he is yet to recover from an injury. Rajat Patidar has been playing as an impact player sub & Jitesh Sharma has been stand-in skipper and also Tim David is sidelined with injury.
Overview
RCB & PBKS had played a match at Mullanpur in the earlier stages of match in which RCB came out victorious. PBKS needs to find a way to get rid of Virat Kohli earlier in the match. The star studded batter has another added version in his batting which is to smash boundaries every another over. Virat Kohli has amassed 602 runs in 13 innings which is incredible & that makes him a biggest threat for PBKS.
PBKS on the other hand have reached playoffs after 2014. The leadership of Shreyas Iyer has been incredible. It won’ t be wrong to say that Shreyas Iyer has transformed the PBKS team. Both the teams have 19 points and them separates a very narrow NRR of asPBKS are ahead with +0.372 whereas RCB with +0.301
Head to head & matches & tactics
There have been 35 instances when the two teams have played against each other. RCB have won 17 matches whereas PBKS 18 times. The rivalry has been breath-taking. There are chances that Yuzvendra Chahl might get added to their playing 11 as his absence is quite uncertain. Yuzvendra Chahal can be lethal weapon as he deceives the batter in the air and can be a surprise package for RCB batters. Arshdeep Singh has been the silent assasign where he has conceded just 25 off 34 balls to Phil Salt & get rid of him four times.
Most likely playing 11
Josh Hazlewood wasn’t full fit for LSG match due to the shoulder arm niggle. The bowling line up of RCB has got very loop-holes. The inclusion of Mayank Agarawal bolster’s RCB’s batting line up. If RCB bat first then they should aim a score in excess of 180 as the dew is assumed to playing a huge role in the match.
Pobable XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara/Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
PBKS are without the lanky speedster Marco Jansen who has flown back to South Africa for the preparation of ICC WTC 2023-25 final which is set to begin on 11th June at iconic Lord’s. Azmatullah Omarzai has expected to bat up the the order. Hazlewood has got the better of Shreyas Iyer as the Aussie pacer has dismissed him thrice in 17 balls as the battle between can be the turning point in the outcome of the match.
Probable XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Most likely winner
PBKS hold a slight edge given their long batting dried as they have got batters at No.8 position. We should not forget how PBKS smartly annihilated MI at Jaipur. It won’t be a bad idea if Marcus Stoinis gets a promotion the order as his monstrous sixes can change the complexion of the match quickly.
RCB fans would be hoping that this time that the team this time gets their hands on the silver-ware. The bowling duo of Krunal Pandya & Suryash Sharma have hunted in a pack, Krunal Pandya particularly has taken 15 wickets in 13 matches whereas Suyash Sharma taken 5 wickets in 12 matches.
It’s quite tough to say which team will sure-shot win the match. PBKS throughout the tournament have been under-dogs but they have played like a champion side. Even if RCB or PBKS lose this match, they will get another chance to give to qualify for the final in Qualifier 2 as the winner of Eliminator will play against the winner of Eliminator on 1st June 2025. PBKS look all set to win the match given their versatility across batting & bowlin departments.